Pope Paul VI's jewellery up for auction on eBay

A lavishly jewelled cross and a ring once owned by Pope Paul VI are heading to auction on eBay.

Pope Paul VI allowed some of his jewellery to be sold to raise money for charityPhoto: ALAMY

11:36PM BST 11 Apr 2011

The items have turned up at a U.S. store owned by a Southern Baptist with a flair for self-promotion. It's the latest stop on a strange journey involving luminaries ranging from UN Secretary General U Thant to Evel Knievel, and which began with Paul VI's novel decision to allow some of his jewellery to be sold to raise money for charity.

One of the items is a pectoral cross, given to clergy who attain the rank of bishop or higher to signify their office. The pope's donation was a testament to his willingness to engage the contemporary world by de-emphasising the importance of such regalia.

"This is new for me," said jewellery store owner Alan Perry, who thinks the items might fetch $800,000 (£490,000) to $900,000 at auction. "That's why we're going to put it up on eBay. It's only worth what someone's willing to pay for it, and eBay might be a good measure to see if people are interested."

Perry was enlisted by a widow whose husband had bought the ring and cross in the 1970s. A New York firm had tried to sell the items for $1.25 million, but hadn't been able to find a buyer. After serving on the board of a local charity with Perry, the woman asked if he would try his luck.

"She came in with all this paperwork and with the cross and ring, and I just said, 'Holy mackerel,"' Perry said.

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It's not the first time that his store, Perry's Emporium, has made headlines. Perry appeared on ABC's Good Morning America after he vowed last year to refund the cost of jewellery bought over a two-week period if Wilmington, a city in the North Carolina mountains had three inches (8 centimetres) of snow on Christmas. It did, and he paid out roughly $400,000 that was covered by insurance.

He plans to put the cross and ring on public display starting April 14 through Holy Week with an armed guard.

The Vatican confirmed that the items are the "personal" ring and pectoral cross of Paul VI. Each pope's official ring is smashed with a hammer when he dies.